A Cry for Help
by PopeHD
Summary: About a month after the China outbreak, Leon and Ada's paths unexpectedly cross again. One of them is in trouble while the other unknowingly put them there. Together they're going to have to figure out who the mysterious man trying to kill them is, but along the way they figure out something much bigger is at play.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Resident Evil is owned by Capcom. I do not own any of this._

 _I feel as though Leon and Ada's relationship has been misrepresented, so let's fix that shall we?_

 **Chapter I**

"Suspect One is approaching the drop off. Everybody, stand by. Agent Kennedy, SITREP."

Leon casually raised his left hand to his ear and activated his com-link, "Suspect Two, in sight. We're making our way through the market…approaching from the West. Suspect has the package. Two minutes till rendezvous. How copy?"

"Solid copy, Agent Kennedy."

Leon keyed his com-link again, "Hunnigan, how's the perimeter looking?"

"LAPD has units holding a four-corner perimeter extending East from Crenshaw Boulevard all the way to Van Ness and North from 164th to West Redondo Beach Boulevard. Additional S.W.A.T units and CDC teams are on standby. Air support is holding at a distance."

 _That's good news._ "Threat assessment?"

"Intel suggests that the two suspects are alone. No known accomplices have been spotted in the immediate area. It's unknown whether or not the suspects are armed, but knowing what's in that briefcase I advise caution."

 _You always do._ Leon maneuvered his way around a mother and baby stroller in his path. "Roger that. Detective Lee, all set on your end?"

"All set. My detectives are stationed in every direction around the deal location. Tac Team One is prepped and standing by to move on your signal, Agent Kennedy."

Leon had worked with local police departments before, but none of them have been as efficient as Detective Lee and his fellow LAPD detectives. Thanks to them a two week long operation was about to come to a close. Without losing sight of his mark, Leon turned to his right and took up position behind a hot dog stand. The two suspects shook hands and started talking. Suspect Two opened the briefcase slightly. Suspect One peered inside and acknowledged that what he was paying for was indeed there and set the case down on the table next to him. He then reached inside his jacket and pulled out a large envelope. Leon keyed his com-link, "All units, standby. We move on my signal." Suspect One looked inside the envelope, ensuring that his payment was correct, and handed it to Suspect Two. He took out a stack of bills and flipped through them. Satisfied with his payment he shook hands with Suspect One finalizing the deal. _Gotcha._ "All units, move in!" Simultaneously, Leon and the detectives drew their weapons and closed the distance while Tac Team One scrambled from their hiding spot in a nearby food truck.

Detective Lee screamed, "POLICE! DON'T MOVE!"

Another detective yelled, "LAPD! Hands where I can see em!"

Both suspects immediately whipped around with looks of horror on their faces. Suspect Two reacted quicker than his accomplice, he tucked away his envelope, jumped on top of the picnic table next to him, and vaulted on top of the concession stand. Suspect One stood frozen for a second, then attempted to pull a pistol from the small of his back. He was immediately tackled by one of Lee's detectives and a S.W.A.T team member, the gun falling from his grasp. Leon shifted his focus back to guy on the rooftop just in time to see him jump off and land on top of a S.W.A.T officer, knocking him to the ground. The suspect immediately jumped up and began fleeing into the market. Detective Lee was hot on his tail. _Where do you think you're going?_ Without a second thought, Leon took off after him.

A few seconds later, Detective Lee's voice came over the radio, "Suspect fleeing through the market heading South-Southwest towards the West gate!"

Leon keyed his mic and responded, "Stay on him! I'm gonna try to cut him off!" He made a beeline straight for the gate, dodging and weaving through all the panicking civilians in his way. Leon glanced to his right and could see the suspect running parallel to him with Detective Lee about twenty yards behind him. Leon turned his head back just in time to see the mother and baby stroller from earlier blocking his path. _Shit!_ He quickly veered to the right and vaulted over a fruit stand. He glanced to his right again. The suspect bumped into a bystander, knocking him off balance. It was enough to slow him down, but not by much. Leon used this opportunity to try to get ahead of him. He could see the gate about fifty yards in front of him. The rows of vendors came to a stop about twenty yards short of the gate with a flag pole displaying the US flag ten yards before the gate. Leon sprinted straight for the flag pole. He glanced to his right one more time. He was just a few yards ahead of the suspect now. _This is gonna be close!_ When he reached the flagpole, Leon grabbed it with his right hand and used his momentum to swing himself directly into the suspect's path. He made a fist and outstretched his left arm just in time to clothesline the suspect, who almost did a perfect back flip before smacking against the pavement. The suspect immediately started coughing and clutching his throat. Leon forcibly flipped him over and wrestled his arms behind his back.

Leon had just put the cuffs on when Detective Lee ran up. He put his hands on his hips and tried to regain control of his breathing. After a few gulps of air, he said, "Damn, Kennedy. Did you really have to take him down that hard?"

Leon hauled the suspect to his feet and smiled. "No…but a guy's gotta have some fun."

 **. . .**

New York City is known to have some of the craziest nightlife in the world, but the scene outside Club Euphoria was just unimaginable. There were at least twelve bouncers at the door, two of whom were currently subduing a line-jumper, three girls in handcuffs being put into the back of squad car, and a line wrapping almost completely around the block. _Quite the party._ Despite being one of the most popular clubs in the city, the building Club Euphoria was situated in was pretty old looking. She bypassed the line, receiving angry responses from the impatient party-goers, and walked straight up to the bouncer with the clipboard, a huge black guy in a pinstripe suit with a gold earring in his right ear.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the end of the line is that way," he said, using his clipboard to point towards the end of the block.

She just smiled and seductively reached inside her bra. She pulled out a golden key card and handed it to the man.

He eyed her suspiciously before setting his clipboard down and pulling a card reader out of his back pocket. He swiped the card and, after a few seconds, the screen flashed green.

"Right this way, miss." One of his men unhooked the velvet rope and he led her inside. The inside of Club Euphoria was vastly different from the exterior. It was like walking into a palace. An ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling, huge marble pillars lined the walls creating a foundation for the overhead balcony, the bar ran along the entire back wall, above the bar were various colored light racks creating one hell of a light show, and on a marble balcony about ten feet above the bar sat the DJ, who was currently playing the latest dub step track. _Impressive._ The bouncer led her through the crowded dance floor to a staircase with two guards at the top. He showed them her key card and they were waved through. As she passed, she noticed the pistols tucked into their waistbands. She looked over the railing and realized they were on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. The bouncer led her to a large booth that took up the entire back corner of the balcony. There was man in a grey suit sitting at the table sipping a glass of whiskey.

As they approached, the man looked up and smiled. He waved his hand and said, "That'll be all Jerome."

The bouncer immediately responded, "Yes, boss." He turned on his heel and disappeared.

The boss stood up and eyed her up and down. "Challenge: Nighthawk."

She responded, "Passcode: Raven."

He smiled and said, "Your reputation precedes you. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Wong."

Ada smirked, "And who might you be?"

"I'm McIntyre." He motioned for her to take a seat and she accepted.

Ada immediately began sizing him up. White male, mid-fifties, six feet tall, dusty brown hair, clean shaven, and a bulge on his left hip, probably a firearm. _Amateur. It's less noticeable in the small of your back._ "My contact was a Mr. Styles…why aren't I dealing with him?"

"It's because of Mr. Styles that we find ourselves in this precarious situation." He took a seat across from her. "We have much to discuss, but first, can I get you anything to drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Ada leaned back and crossed her legs. "I'd like to know what I'm doing here."

"The plan has changed due to some…minor complications."

Ada shook her head. _And you want me to clean up your mess._ "If you want my help…I'll need details."

McIntyre took a sip of his drink. "Ms. Wong, we hired you to be a courier. We wanted you to transport a package, to me, here in New York."

"Why do you need me? UPS is cheaper."

McIntyre smiled and said, "The contents of said package aren't exactly legal. Therefore, we needed someone with your expertise to transport it. I put Mr. Styles in charge of procuring the package and handing it off to you."

Ada scoffed. _I already knew that._ "So why am I here, in New York, instead of meeting with Styles?"

McIntyre didn't even flinch. "That's where the problem lies, Ms. Wong. The original plan never involved me meeting you. You were to deal exclusively with Mr. Styles, but an unforeseen problem has arisen. We went through every precaution to ensure that every aspect of the deal was kept secret, but…somehow the deal was compromised and the package was intercepted this morning by the U.S. Government."

Ada smirked. _Typical._ "You could've told me this over the phone."

McIntyre nodded in agreement and said, "You're right. I could have, but I prefer to meet the people I hire in person. Call me old fashioned, but I like to put a face to the name. Also, my organization still doesn't know how the deal was compromised. We are in the process of switching out all of our communications equipment."

Ada nodded in understanding. _At least he's not stupid._ "I assume that since the plan has changed, my role in it has as well?

McIntyre let a smile spread across his face. "You're quite correct, Ms. Wong. I'd like you to recover the package and bring it to me. In addition to recovering and couriering the package, we'd also like you to deal with the government agent who, very rudely, disrupted our deal."

Ada brushed her hair over her ear. "Say I was crazy enough to go up against the United States Government, what's in it for me?"

McIntyre placed his arms on the table and leaned forward. "Two million. Half up front, the other half upon successful delivery of the package."

Ada thought about it for minute. "Hmm…what would you have me do with the agent?"

"We want him out of the picture. Can't have him…interfering with future business deals."

Ada mulled it over in her head. _I don't like this._ The job was risky and killing any government agent brought a lot of unwanted attention. "Who is he?"

McIntyre looked confused for a split second before regaining his composure. "Why does that matter?"

"I'd like to know who I'm up against."

McIntyre smirked and remained quiet for a few seconds. Obviously debating whether or not to give her the information. He reached down and pulled a briefcase out from under the table. He opened it and pulled out a file, which he slid across the table.

Ada opened the file and gasped. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"His name is Leon Scott Kennedy. He's a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. He's part of a special division that takes orders directly from the President. He's highly trained and extremely intelligent. He has a very impressive resume…and I don't impress easy. You'll have your work cut out for you, Ms. Wong."

"No…I won't," Ada said, closing the file. _Leon, what have you gotten yourself into now?_

McIntyre laughed. "I admire your confidence, Ms. Wong. Clearly, you're eager to get started. My plane is ready to take you to…"

"You're mistaken," Ada interrupted, "I'm not taking the job." She slid the file back across the table and stood up. "You'll have to find someone else to clean up your mess. I'll see myself out." She started walking towards the stairs, but the two security guards who were standing there suddenly blocked her path. She turned around and saw McIntyre and two more guards standing behind her.

McIntyre took a step forward and said, "I believe YOU are mistaken, Ms. Wong. Your participation in this operation isn't optional."

Ada tensed. _Just my luck._

 **. . .**

"Special Agent Kennedy!"

Without breaking stride, Leon turned to see who was calling for him. "Detective Lee, what can I do for you?"

Detective Lee caught up to him and asked, "I was just wondering why we didn't Mirandize the two guys from this morning…what's going on?"

Leon stopped walking and looked Detective Lee in his eyes. "I couldn't tell you earlier due to security concerns. We didn't Mirandize them because we're charging them with International Bio-terrorism."

Lee shifted his weight. "What was in that case?"

Leon cleared his throat. "G-virus samples."

Detective Lee had a look of horror on his face. He scratched his head before asking, "Do we have any idea who these guys are or where they got that stuff from?"

Leon gave the file he was holding to Detective Lee. "We identified the second suspect. His name is Greg Hoppman. He's a former employee of Umbrella. He was one of their many virologists. He went missing shortly before the Raccoon City Incident and we've been looking for him ever since. He popped back up on the radar two weeks ago here in LA, hence my visit…"

Detective Lee began thumbing through the file and said, "…and our investigation. Well that explains where the G-virus came from. What about the other guy?"

Leon shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. He had no I.D, no fingerprint matches, and no hits on facial recognition. He's a ghost. Hasn't even said one word since we brought him in."

Detective Lee frowned. "That's not good."

"You don't have to tell me," Leon agreed.

Lee closed the file and looked up at Leon, "So what's going to happen to them?"

"The Marshals are on their way to transport them. They're being delivered to BSAA North American Headquarters in D.C. They have first dibs. I've been ordered to escort the virus samples to the U.S. Army labs at Fort Detrick, Maryland so they can be properly destroyed."

Lee asked, "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, 0700 hours."

Lee handed Leon his file back. "Well, I can't say we're going to miss you around here. Ever since you got here, you've been the only thing the girls in this station can talk about and, frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how sexy your ass is."

Leon smiled and said, "Nice working with you too."

Before leaving, Lee patted him on the shoulder and said, "Take care, Agent Kennedy."

Leon watched him walk away. About that time, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and didn't recognize the number. _New York area code…who do I know in New York?_ He answered it, "Kennedy."

A female voice asked, "Is this Leon?"

"Depends…who's asking?"

"Detective Laura Tanner, NYPD."

Leon stepped into the conference room and asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Detective?"

She yawned, a sign of someone who had worked half the night, and asked, "Do you know an Angela Wagner?"

Leon thought about it for a second before answering, "Name doesn't ring a bell. How'd you get my number?"

"She had it in her pocket."

Leon looked puzzled. _Why would she have my number? More importantly, where did she get it?_ "Detective, what was she arrested for?"

"She wasn't. She's at Bellevue currently going through emergency surgery."

"What for?"

Tanner hesitated for a second. "Punctured lung…one of her ribs poked a good-sized hole in it."

Leon winced at the thought of just how much that hurt. "Any idea who assaulted her?"

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the line. "I never said anybody assaulted her. What would make you think that? She could've been in a car accident for all you know."

"Emergency Surgery means one of two things…an accident or foul play. If she was in a car accident, an NYPD Detective wouldn't be involved unless they suspected foul play and they for damn sure wouldn't be calling random numbers written on piece of paper in their victim's pocket unless they couldn't find next of kin. Not being able to find next of kin combined with everything else you've told me can only mean one thing…you can't I.D. her. You were hoping I could tell you who she was."

Tanner paused again before responding. "You a cop?"

"Once upon a time. Now, do you know who assaulted her?"

She sighed. "No, I don't. As a matter of fact, there's very little that I do know."

Leon pulled a chair out and took a seat. "Fill me in."

Tanner took a deep breath. "Had a bunch of 9-1-1 calls come in a few hours ago. Some kind of fight in progress at Club Euphoria. We already had a patrol car out front dealing with some underage drinkers, so the officers dropped what they were doing and went inside. They had just entered the club when they heard shots ring out on the overhead balcony. They called in a 10-13 and started to make their way upstairs when our girl came flying off of the balcony. She broke a table when she landed. The officers carried her outside and set up a perimeter to wait for backup. When ESU arrived, they swept through the entire building and found no trace of any armed suspects."

"They must've slipped out the back before your guys could lock down the building." Leon didn't mean to say that. He was just thinking out loud.

Tanner didn't flinch, "Exactly what I was thinking. We found evidence of the fight up on the balcony. We got blood, hair, fibers, broken glass, and shell casings. Forensics is working it now. They should be able to tell us something here soon, but that's not the weird part."

Now Leon was curious, "What's the weird part?"

Tanner took in another breath before beginning, "Our victim…she's a mystery to me. Witnesses said she was fighting with club security, her I.D. was fake, no fingerprint or DNA matches, she had a gun in the small of her back with untraceable serial numbers, and she only had two things in her pocket. The first thing was a cell phone with encryption patterns that our techs couldn't crack and the second thing is a picture of…what I'm guessing is you with your name and phone number on the back."

Leon was baffled. _Sounds like my suspect out here, but who the hell would have my picture in their pocket?_ "Is the guy in the picture really handsome, have long blonde hair, and wearing a leather jacket?"

"Yep."

"Then it's me."

"Well…he's not THAT handsome," Tanner teased.

Leon let out a small laugh. "You're probably right." Then a thought popped into his head. "Detective you said there were shots fired, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Was anybody hit?"

"Our victim was, twice. Once in the arm and once the abdomen. Both are through and through, but she lost a lot of blood. The paramedics pumped her full of saline on the ride over and the doctors said she was critical, but not likely. I didn't tell you earlier because I wanted to see what you knew first."

Leon rubbed his chin. "I get it…did it myself a few times. What else can you tell me about the victim?"

Tanner sighed, "Besides the broken ribs, punctured lung, and the bullet holes…she's got defensive wounds all over her body, a couple cuts from broken glass, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion as a result from her fall. She also has a lot of old wounds. Doc says that he thinks she was either abused or lived a rough life."

Leon shook his head. _That's horrible._ "What does she look like?"

"I didn't really get a good look at her, but she was thin, athletic, light skin, 5'8, about 120 pounds, with short black hair. Sound familiar?"

Leon's heart skipped a beat. _What?! It can't be!_ He found himself at a loss for words.

"Hello?"

 _What if it is her?_

"Leon?" Tanner's voice rang in his head.

 _Wait a second, Angela Wagner…AW, as in Ada Wong?_

Detective Tanner started to sound agitated, "You still there?"

"I'm on my way." Leon hung up and speed dialed number one.

She answered on the second ring, "Leon?"

"Hunnigan, change of plans…"

 **. . .**


	2. Chapter II

_Disclaimer: I'm not Japanese, so I don't Resident Evil._

 _Hey, guys! I'm back! Apologies for the long absence, but I'm active duty military and my schedule can get pretty hectic. I've been jotting down ideas for this story for the past few months here and there, but I just haven't had the time or energy to write. I finally got some time off and now I give you the next piece of this story of ours. I hope you like it, Becka._

 _In this chapter, Leon familiarizes himself with the case…_

 **Chapter II**

Detective Tanner held her phone to her ear as she peered through the surgery observation window, "Yeah…that's right…I'm at the hospital now. No, she's still in surgery. When she wakes up, you'll be the first to know. Yes, sir. Alright, bye." She hung up the phone and let out the breath she'd been holding. She always gets nervous whenever her Captain personally calls her about a case. That usually means someone important is watching. _Who'd care about some random nobody who got shot in a bar fight?_ Tanner tossed her cell phone back into her pocket and took a seat in one of the empty chairs in the hallway. She opened her case-file and began reviewing it for the seventh time. In her experience, there's almost always one small detail that's buried amidst all the witness statements and forensics reports. That one detail that'll connect all the dots and solve the case. _The trick is actually finding the damn thing._ Tanner flipped through the file reading witness statements, reviewing preliminary forensics reports, and thoroughly examining every crime scene photo hoping to find the missing link. _I'm missing something…_

"Detective Tanner?"

Tanner was so focused on the pictures; she didn't notice that someone had walked up beside her. She looked up and saw a tall black man wearing green hospital scrubs. He was easily six feet tall, short black hair, clean shaven, and looked as though he spent half his life in the gym. "Who's asking?"

The man extended his hand and said, "Doctor Darrell Monroe. I'm your Jane Doe's surgeon."

Tanner closed the case-file and stood up to shake the Doctor's hand. "Nice to meet you, Doc. Excuse my rudeness. I've been working twenty hours straight."

He flashed a look of understanding. "Don't mention it."

Tanner dropped her case-file in the chair she'd been sitting in before pulling out her notepad and pen. "So, what do you got for me, Doc?"

Doctor Monroe put his hands on his hips, "She's stable for now, but she's not out of the woods yet. We managed to drain the fluid from her lung and stitch it up. We repaired most of the damage that the bullet caused when it passed through her abdomen. Luckily it didn't hit anything important. Originally, we thought that she may have had a compound fracture in her rib cage that caused the punctured lung. As it turns out, it was a bullet fragment. She only has hairline fractures in three of her ribs, which caused the swelling."

Tanner stopped writing and looked up at the doctor. "She was shot in the abdomen and the bullet passed clean through. How'd a bullet fragment end up in her lung?"

"Your man was using fragmentation ammo."

Tanner knew what that meant. "Hollow points..."

Monroe crossed his arms. "The amount of damage I've found would support that. Jane Doe's so thin that the bullet passed through her before it could fully expand and lodge itself inside of her. I'd be fishing out more fragments if it did."

Tanner nodded in agreement and kept taking notes. "What about her arm? I know it's unlikely that bullet fragmented, as well."

Monroe tensed. "That's where the problem lies. When the bullet passed through, it nicked the bone. A bone fragment has lodged itself in the Brachial Artery causing it to hemorrhage and swell. Before we can repair the artery, we have to go in and remove the fragment. It's a risky procedure. If we aren't careful, we could accidentally sever the artery cutting off all circulation to the rest of her arm. If that happens, we'll have no choice but to amputate."

Tanner shook her head. _Damn._ Tanner felt sorry for the woman. _Wait a second…_ "Doctor, you said the bullet hit the bone and the bone fragmented? Not the bullet?"

Doctor Monroe smiled. "I was hoping you'd catch that little detail, Detective. Yes, the bullet didn't fragment. As a matter of fact, the bullet didn't even alter course after it impacted the bone. What does that tell you?"

"Armor-piercing ammo?"

"That'd be my guess. Of course, I can't be a hundred percent sure. Your forensics people should be able to confirm it," He reached into his pocket and pulled out a specimen jar," Here's the bullet fragment we recovered from her lung. I didn't rinse it off or anything. Figured your forensic guys would want it with the DNA still intact."

Tanner took the specimen jar and examined it. "Thanks, Doc."

"Don't mention it. One last thing, Detective. Both of the entrance wounds are the same size."

"Both bullets were the same caliber?"

Monroe shook his head yes. "Nine-millimeter would be my guess."

Tanner narrowed her eyes, "Why would our shooter use two different types of ammunition?"

Monroe shrugged his shoulders, "Beats me. It's your job to figure that out, Detective. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go prep Jane Doe for surgery."

"Oh, here," Tanner reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her business cards, "Take this and give me a call when she's out of surgery."

Monroe accepted the card and said, "Sure thing," before disappearing back into the operating room.

Tanner finished writing down everything and put her notebook away. She picked up her case-file and turned around to make her way back down the hall, but stopped in her tracks when she saw a mysterious man standing in front of the observation window. He was staring at her Jane Doe. He was wearing a dark blue suit with black dress shoes. She could see his white shirt collar flared out, so he wasn't wearing a tie. He had his right hand in his pocket, which was making her uneasy, and his left arm was down by his side. _Who the hell is that?_ "Excuse me, can I help you?"

The man didn't so much as turn his head. "Detective Tanner, I presume?"

Tanner cocked her head to the side and took a step towards the mysterious man. She made damn sure she had a hand on her weapon. "Yeah…and who might you be?"

The man slowly turned and faced her.

 _It's not possible._ Tanner let her hand fall from her weapon. "Mr. Kennedy?!"

The man smirked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Tanner couldn't find the words to express the thoughts bouncing around her head. "What…how…"

"I told you I was on my way. I'm guessing you forgot to roll out the red carpet?"

"I didn't expect you to get here so soon! After you hung up on me, I had TARU trace your phone. They said it was encrypted and they couldn't get an exact location, but its signal was coming from Los Angeles. That was," she paused to look at her watch, "seven hours ago and it's a six-hour flight from here to LA."

"Five and a half actually."

Tanner could feel herself getting annoyed. "Mr. Kennedy, why are you here?"

He glanced through the observation window. "Had to see her for myself."

Tanner followed his gaze, then looked back and eyed him suspiciously. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah. Didn't think we'd meet again so soon."

Tanner couldn't believe her good fortune. "Great! Do you mind telling me her name?"

"I do, actually."

 _Wait…what?_ Tanner was confused for a split second. "And why is that, Mr. Kennedy?"

"I have my reasons…"

Tanner felt like there was something he was hiding from her. _What exactly is he not telling me?_ "Care to share with them with me?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not particularly."

Tanner balled her fist. _This guy's really starting to piss me off._ "That's fine with me. I'll just get a subpoena, or better yet, how about I arrest you for Obstruction of Justice and Interfering in a Police Investigation?"

He didn't even flinch. "That reminds me," he reached into his jacket, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.

Tanner could feel steam shooting out of her ears. _I threaten to arrest him and he makes a fucking phone call?! Who is this guy?_

Whoever he was calling finally answered, "Hey, Hunnigan…yeah…it's her. I'm sure. Make the call." He hung up and turned his attention back to her. "Any chance I can get a look at that case-file?"

Tanner could feel her temperature rising. _I can't believe the balls on this guy._ She practically screamed, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

He just nodded with a kind of certainty that concerned her.

"Why are you so confident?"

"Why are you?"

 _I've had enough of this guy._ "Because this is official police business, because I'm not about to hand over my case-file to some jackass I just met five minutes ago, and because I know my bosses will back me up one hundred percent on this! That's why!" They stared uncomfortably into each other's eyes and a silent battle for dominance began. A few seconds later, her phone started ringing, but she didn't make a move to answer it.

He stoically stood there returning her stare without a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "You might want to get that."

Tanner cocked her head to the side. _He knows who's calling me. Which one of his bosses did he get to do it, I wonder?_ She pulled out her phone and took a glimpse at the caller ID. _Captain Turner?_ She immediately answered the call, "Captain?"

" _Tanner, listen up. I just got off the phone with the Commissioner and the feds are taking over your case."_

"You've got to be kidding me!"

" _I don't want to hear it, Tanner!"_

"You couldn't stop them? What the hell's the point in me investigating if you aren't gonna have my back?"

" _Tanner, enough! It's out of my hands. Hell, it's out of the Commissioner's hands."_

"This is bullshit, Captain."

" _Maybe it is, but you wanna know what I think? I don't give a shit. I'm under orders from the Commissioner and you're under orders from me. So, I don't want to hear another word out of you besides 'yes, sir' or 'no, sir'. Do you understand me, Tanner?"_

Tanner bit her lip and accepted defeat. "Yes, sir."

" _That's what I thought. Now, listen. The feds are taking over your case. PERIOD. You're to hand over all notes, evidence, and files pertaining to the case. The Agent-in-Charge of the federal task force is at the hospital right now. You'll be meeting him shortly. He's with the Secret Service, a Special Agent Kennedy. Goodbye, Detective Tanner."_

The call ended as abruptly as it began. Tanner slowly spun back around to deal with 'Mr. Kennedy'. He hadn't even moved an inch. He was still standing there with that air of confidence.

He smiled and held out his left hand. "I'll take my file now."

 **. . .**

Leon glanced over at Tanner. She was really tense; she was gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white. He knew she was pissed at him for taking over her case, but she'd come around. He hadn't told her that he planned on keeping her around. After all, he'd never been to New York. He needed somebody who knew their way around the city. He knew she'd take it as her being his taxi driver, but if what he'd read in her file was true, then she'd be a valuable asset to his investigation. He turned his attention back to his PDA and kept scrolling through her file. A few minutes later, the car came to an abrupt stop. Tanner unbuckled her seat belt and exited the car without saying a word. Leon did the same and followed her past the crime scene tape and up to a uniformed officer standing guard at the front door. He had a black logbook slung under one arm and was leaning up against the door frame looking extremely bored.

He straightened up when he saw them approaching and opened up the logbook. "Hold up. I've gotta log you two in. Names?"

Tanner opened her jacket revealing her gun and badge. "Detective Laura Tanner, Major Case. I was here earlier."

The uniform scanned through the entries for a second before he landed on her name. "There you are. Go ahead, Detective." He scribbled her new arrival time in the book.

She opened the door and disappeared inside without bothering to wait for him. Leon smiled.

The cop turned his attention to Leon. "Sir? Your name?"

Leon reached into his jacket and pulled out his wallet that contained his credentials and badge inside. He held it up so the cop could read them.

The officer had to squint in order to read them and looked up with a mild look of surprise on his face. "Secret Service? What are you guys doing here?"

Leon smirked as he walked past him "I'm guessing the same reason you're here." As he opened the door, he put his credentials away and clipped his badge to his belt. Normally, he never wore in it in public. Cops nowadays just made people nervous, but he didn't feel like having people ask who he was every five seconds. He walked down the hall towards the ballroom and could see Tanner standing and talking to another woman carrying a clipboard. As he was walking over to talk to them, a broken table over to his right caught his attention. He walked over and knelt down to examine it. The table was broken in half and there were wood shards all around it. There were blood stains on the table, as well as around it. He glanced up at the balcony and judged that it was about twenty feet above the dance floor. _Some fall._ He stood up and made his way over to Tanner and her 'friend'. As he walked up, he caught the end of their conversation.

The mystery woman said, "I'm sure he's not THAT bad."

Tanner crossed her arms. "He stole my case! As far as I'm concerned, he's…"

"Charming?" Leon interrupted.

Tanner gave him an annoyed look. "…an ass."

Leon smiled. "You're probably right," he glanced over at the mystery woman, who was staring intently at him through her glasses, "Aren't you gonna introduce us, Detective Tanner?"

Tanner sighed and gestured between the two while she spoke, "Peggy Albright, this is Special Agent Kennedy with the Secret Service. Special Agent Kennedy, meet Peggy Albright. She's CSU's Lead Crime Scene Technician."

Leon extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

She reached out and shook his hand. "Likewise."

Leon took a second to look her over. She looked like nerdier version of Hunnigan. Brown eyes, glasses, shoulder-length brown hair done up in a ponytail, wearing a grey blazer with blue jeans and a t-shirt. "Mind walking me through the crime scene?"

"Sure thing! Follow me." She took off towards the stairs on the other side of the room.

He and Tanner quietly followed her up the stairs to the balcony. When they approached the far end of the balcony, Leon could see tables knocked over, broken glass, thrown silverware, blood, and a few shell casings.

Peggy pointed to the booth in the far corner, "Witnesses said our victim was sitting in that booth over there with a man in a suit. Everything was fine until she got up to leave. The man in the suit followed and had his bodyguards surround her."

Leon put his hands in his pockets. "Any idea how many bodyguards there were?"

Peggy flipped through a couple pages on her clipboard before answering, "The witness said there were four. Two were standing by the booth and the other two were standing by the stairs. There were two on either side of her boxing her in. Witnesses said our victim turned and exchanged words with the man in the suit, then one of his guards came up from behind and grabbed her by the arm."

"Which is when she decided to defend herself?" Leon looked at her for confirmation.

"Yep. She promptly threw him into that that table," Peggy glanced at a broken table to her left.

Leon followed her gaze.

"Witnesses described it as something out of a karate movie," Peggy continued, "After that the other three guards attacked and that's where things start to get a little hazy. The only thing our witnesses can agree to is the fact that, even though the odds were four to one, our victim was winning. One witness said she broke one guard's arm. Another said he saw her smash another guard in the face with a chair. She definitely wasn't holding back."

Leon surveyed the carnage around him and nodded. _Definitely sounds like Ada._ "What was the man in the suit doing during all this?"

Tanner stepped in. "When the fight started, he took a few steps back and watched. One of the witnesses said she thought she saw him talking on the phone, but we're not sure."

Leon made a mental note about the phone call. _Who steps away to make a phone call during a fight?_ "When did the shooting start?"

"I was getting to that," Albright paused to fix her glasses, "witnesses said that after she broke the one guard's arm and subdued another, the one who was hit with the chair got up and pulled a weapon. Our victim saw it and knocked it from his hands causing it to go off," she pointed to a spot right beside him, "The bullet impacted the ground right by your foot."

Leon looked at the spot she was pointing to and saw the bullet hole. "I'm guessing your witnesses' stories didn't make much sense after that?"

Peggy nodded in agreement. "Put frankly, they panicked. They all started rushing towards the exit."

Tanner chimed in, "Before the shooting started, we'd already received several calls about a fight in progress. We already had a radio car out front dealing with a few underage drinkers. The officers were coming down the hallway when the first shot rang out. They immediately put a 10-13 out over the radio. Shortly after that they heard a few more shots ring out on the balcony."

 _Matches up with what she told me on the phone._ "How many shots did they hear after the first one, exactly?"

"Three. They were about to make their way up the stairs when our girl came flying off the balcony."

Albright interjected, "By then, everybody who had been on the balcony had made their way downstairs. The officers thought they should get our victim outside and set up a perimeter rather than blindly run up the stairs into gunfire."

Tanner continued, "Officer Ramirez carried our victim outside and began administering first aid. His partner, Officer Coachella, secured the entrance and provided cover. Their backup arrived a few minutes later and secured the rear entrance in the alley. ESU arrived approximately 11 minutes after that and breached. They didn't find anybody, which is why we think the suspects managed to escape before we secured both entrances."

Leon grimaced. _Something doesn't add up._ "So, four shots were fired. We know the first one missed and your officers heard three more after that," Leon looked at Albright, "Do you have trajectories on the other three bullets?"

Peggy perked up a bit. "We sure do! An analysis of the bullet casings, blood spatter, and where the rounds impacted has determined that the next two shots came from here," she walked over to a spot right beside the broken table where Ada had thrown the first guard, "blood spatter indicates that he hit her in the arm. The other round missed and both rounds lodged themselves in the wall behind you, Agent Kennedy."

Leon turned around and observed that there were indeed two bullet holes in the wall just above his head. _There's about a foot spacing between the two…he was a poor shot._ "Why are the impacts so high up on the wall?"

Albright laid down next to the broken table and made a pistol with her fingers.

Leon nodded in understanding. "Where'd the fourth shot come from?"

Albright got up and walked over to a bloody spot on the railing and faced away from it towards Leon. "The shot to her arm staggered her a bit," she pointed to her left, "Blood spatter from the second shot goes in that direction. So, my guess is that after she regained her balance, she faced this way," she turned to her right and pointed back towards the booth in the corner, "That's when she was hit from that direction."

Leon followed her gaze and did the math. "The man in the suit?"

"Precisely," Albright turned to the bloody spot on the railing, "Which brings me to this. After she was hit, she leaned against the railing. She probably lost her balance when she bent over the rail and that's why she fell."

Tanner walked over to the railing and looked over. "Or she saw our cops crossing the dance floor heading to the stairs and decided a fall would be better than dealing with five armed men while she was wounded. Figured they might see her fall and help her. Either way, she's one tough chick to survive that."

 _You have no idea…_ Leon walked over to where the man in the suit was standing and saw a single shell casing laying on the ground. "All the shell casings are nine-millimeter, except the first one. That one was a forty-five."

Tanner walked over next to him and said, "The doctor said that both bullets that hit our victim were the same caliber. That matches up with what we see here."

Leon nodded in agreement and looked back towards the booth and noticed and elevator in the corner. He pointed towards it and asked, "Where does that lead?"

Peggy piped up, "OH! That leads to the kitchen. You can access the rear exit from there."

Tanner led him over to it. "We think they used it to make their escape."

Leon hit the button and glanced inside. There was a small blood stain on the wall. "Whose blood is that?"

"Our victim's. Peggy thinks that a bodyguard was behind her when she was shot the second time," Tanner glanced over at Albright for confirmation.

"Right…there are inconsistencies with the blood spatter pattern that would support it."

Leon motioned for them to step inside the elevator. They looked at each with curious glances, but ultimately stepped inside with him. As soon as they were in, Leon hit the button for the ground floor.

As soon as the doors closed, Tanner spoke up, "CSU Techs already swept the kitchen. They found a little bit of blood belonging to our victim, but, other than that, they didn't find anything. Right, Peggy?"

Albright examined a page on her clipboard. "Correct. A standard sweep didn't reveal anything."

The doors to the elevator opened and they all stepped out. Leon made his way through the kitchen casually observing his surroundings. When they got to the back of the kitchen there was a hallway that veered to the right towards the rear exit. There was a small wooden table with a blood smudge on it.

Albright walked up next to the table and pointed to the smudge. "This is our victim's blood. We think that the guard who was behind her when she was shot brushed it on his way out. We weren't able to get anything from it."

Leon took out his flashlight and examined it. Then he knelt down and looked on the underside of the table. Sometimes when people grab a table their thumb will make an impression on the underside. No such luck. Leon stood up and made his way to the exit at the end of the hall. He pushed open the door and scared the two officers standing guard right outside. "Sorry, boys." The trio stepped outside into the morning air. Leon had to fight the urge to cover his nose. The alley smelled like wet trash and rotten fish. He turned to Tanner and Albright, "Where was their car parked?"

Peggy pointed to a spot to his right. "Judging from the wheelbase we think it's an SUV of some kind. I have one of my techs trying to narrow it down."

Leon walked over and examined the tire marks on the ground. "They left in a hurry. Did your techs sweep the alley?"

Tanner stepped up beside him. "We had a couple uniforms do a sweep of the alley and check the dumpsters. Didn't find anything."

Leon examined the alley carefully. _There probably won't be anything in the dumpsters or on the ground. The NYPD would've found it._ He looked back towards the rear entrance of the club. There was a patrol car sitting directly outside the door. He walked back over to where the two officers were standing next to door. "You two were here last night?"

The older officer spoke first, his name tag said _Reagan_ on it, "Yes, sir. We were the ones who secured this exit before ESU arrived."

Leon glanced over at their patrol car. "Have you moved your car at all since you arrived?"

The two cops exchanged glances. Reagan answered, "No, sir."

The wheels in Leon's head were turning now. "Would you mind backing it up down the alley for me?"

Reagan had a look of confusion of his face, but he did what was asked of him. He got into the cruiser and started it up. He reversed about twenty feet back down the alley and when he did Leon's face lit up. Right where the car had been sitting, was a sewer grate. _Jackpot._ Leon lifted the grate and took out his flashlight. He shined it around inside and smiled when he found what he was looking for. "Found something."

Tanner and Albright were hunched over behind him trying to see what exactly he had found.

He took out his handkerchief and grabbed the necklace's chain and gently lifted it out of its hiding place. He turned around to face Tanner and Albright. Both of them had looks of astonishment on their faces. "This belongs to our victim."

Tanner shook her head. "How can you be sure?"

"Because she was wearing it the last time I saw her." The necklace was a simple chain with a cross on the end of it. Leon spun it around to examine it and right on the back of the cross was a bloody partial fingerprint. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of the partial, then he speed-dialed number one.

Peggy pulled an evidence bag out of her pocket and Leon gently slid the necklace inside.

Hunnigan answered on the third ring, "Leon, what's up?"

"Hunnigan, I'm sending you a fingerprint. I need you to run it against all known databases."

"Sure thing."

"Thanks, Hunnigan."

"No problem. How's she doing?"

Leon sighed, "She's in surgery. Doctors are sure she'll pull through."

"I'm glad to hear it, Leon. Take care. I'll let you know if I get a hit on that fingerprint."

Leon hung up and returned his attention to Tanner and Albright who were busy examining the necklace he'd found.

Tanner looked up and asked, "How'd you know to look under the patrol car?"

Leon shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't. When Officer Reagan told me he never moved the car, I figured nobody bothered to look underneath it."

"I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"I can."

Tanner's green eyes were glaring at him in a way that would make a normal man shiver in his boots, but Leon had seen worse.

"You were so focused on the scene on the balcony that you neglected the scene as a whole. That's why you had uniforms conduct the search in the alley and not CSU. It's a common mistake. Learn from it, Detective."

Tanner looked like she was about to give him a piece of her mind, but her phone rang. She let it ring a few times before she answered it. "Yeah? What…thank you, doctor," she looked at him with a new spark in her eyes, "Our victim's awake."

 **. . .**

 _There's Chapter II. Hope you guys enjoyed it!_ _Follow, favorite, and leave a review if you'd like to see more. I'll post the next chapter in a week or two. The next chapter is going to be an exciting one, if I do say so myself._


	3. Chapter III

_Hey, guys! Sorry for taking so long to update, but I decided to take a break from writing for a little while. I had some real life stuff I wanted to focus on. But now I'm back and I have another chapter for you! I hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who left a review on the last chapter!_

 _In this chapter, Ada wakes up and begins to find her bearings. Leon and Tanner follow up on a lead…_

 **Chapter III**

Leon burst through the doors to the ICU and continued down the hall searching Ada's room. He was walking so fast that Tanner was struggling to keep up, but he didn't care. He was preoccupied.

They found Doctor Monroe standing at the end of the hallway waiting for them. He greeted them as they approached, "Detective Tanner," his gaze turned to Leon, "Sir, I noticed you earlier, but I didn't catch your name."

Leon went to shake the man's hand. "Leon S. Kennedy."

The doctor shook his hand and returned his greeting, "Doctor Monroe. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what brings you here? Are you related to our Jane Doe?"

Leon smirked and briefly glanced over the doctor's shoulder trying to locate Ada's room. "Something like that."

Tanner rolled her eyes and said, "He's with the Secret Service. They've taken over the investigation."

"Oh," Doctor Monroe raised an eyebrow and began glancing back and forth between the two of them. He looked as though he was contemplating whether or not to say something, but decided against it. Instead, he stepped out of the way and pointed to a room at the end of the hall. "Your girl is in room three. Let me know if you need anything."

Leon walked past without even acknowledging him.

He heard Tanner mouth a quick, "I'm sorry," before jogging to catch up with him. When he found her room, he slid the door open and turned around to block the entrance.

Tanner almost crashed into him, but managed stop herself in time. She looked at him with a scowl on her face. "What are you doing?"

"I need you to wait outside."

Tanner bit her lip. She was obviously pissed, but he knew that she didn't want to say something that would make him throw her off the case. "I need to be in there with you. There are some questions I need to ask her."

"And you can ask them…" She smirked and attempted to walk by him, but he blocked her path again. "…after I talk to her first." She didn't even have a chance to protest before he slid the door closed and locked it in her face, all without breaking eye contact. She turned a bright shade of red and stormed off back towards the nurse's station. He let out a devious grin. _Oh, she's pissed._ He heard sheets rustling behind him. He took a deep breath before turning around to find her staring up at him with big, sleepy eyes…

 **. . .**

Voices in the background woke Ada from her slumber. A man and a woman's. She couldn't hear anymore than that. She opened her eyes and tried sit up, but pain radiated throughout her entire body causing her to collapse back into the pillows. _Where am I?_ She took a quick look around and realized she was in a hospital. An inspection of the hospital I.D. tag on her wrist revealed that she was in the ICU at Bellevue. She smiled at the fact that the name on tag read _**Jane Doe**_. _Good. They don't know who I am yet. That'll buy me enough time to sneak out of here._ She noticed there were two people having a conversation in her doorway. The guy had his back towards her and the chick looked pissed. Ada noticed that the woman had a gun and a NYPD Detective's badge on her right hip. She watched as the guy shut the door in her face. The Detective turned a bright shade of red and stormed off down the hallway. Ada smiled. _There's only one man I know who can piss someone off that much._ He turned around and they locked eyes. There they sat, for what seemed like an eternity before she finally broke the silence, "Leon," she paused for a second as he took a step closer to the bed, "…well this is embarrassing."

He smiled and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I agree. Two times in one year," he moved and took a seat in the chair next to her bed, "You're losing your touch."

Ada smiled weakly and coughed before saying, "They got lucky."

"Or you got sloppy."

She stared at the ceiling and smiled. When she finally turned her attention back to Leon, she found him staring at her with a confident smirk. "Aren't you supposed to be taking easy on me? I've been shot, after all."

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "Actually, you have a concussion, a dislocated shoulder, a torn artery, a punctured lung, three broken ribs, and you were shot…TWICE," he held up two fingers just to drive his point home. She could tell by the look on his face that he was concerned about her. It clearly pained him to see her like this.

Ada shrugged her shoulders. "Slow day?"

They both started giggling at her statement. Each of them feeding off of the other's laughter to the point where Ada started wincing in pain.

When their laughter finally died off, she asked, "What are you doing here, Leon?" Surprise was clearly evident in her voice. She was glad to see him, but she still didn't know why he was here. Was he here to see her or was this just another coincidence? _How'd he know I was here anyway?_

"I was in the neighborhood."

Ada raised an eyebrow, silently communicating that she thought he was full of shit.

He caved, "Alright, fine. I heard you were injured… just wanted to check up on you."

Ada felt a smile spread across her face. "You certainly know how to make a girl blush, don't you?"

He laughed again and shook his head, "So I've been told."

" _Really_?" Ada eyed him suspiciously, before motioning towards the door, "Who's the angry blonde?"

"Detective Tanner. She was in charge of your case."

Ada was so out of it that she almost missed the little detail he slipped in there. "She _WAS_ in charge of my case?"

He very nonchalantly said, "Yeah, why do you think she's so angry?"

Ada grinned, but when she realized what that meant it disappeared. "I'm guessing that you're in charge of the investigation now?"

Leon shook his head yes. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. As he did so, she caught a whiff of his cologne. _Mmmm, sandalwood. How appropriate._ "I've got a few questions for you, Ada."

"Well, I can't guarantee I'll have an answer."

Leon smiled at her response. "What brings you to New York?"

Ada closed her eyes and swallowed. "I heard the pizza was to die for."

Leon's eyes narrowed. "Why were you at Club Euphoria?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Long flight. I needed a drink."

He gave her a disapproving look. It's the same look a parent gives their child when they know they're lying to them. "Ada, I can't help you if you won't tell me what's going on."

Ada hated lying to him, but she didn't have a choice. The less he knew, the safer he was. She tried her best to sound reassuring, "It was nothing, Leon. There's no reason for you to get involved. Let the NYPD handle this."

"So that's how you're gonna play this?" He stood up and started making his way towards the door.

The words escaped her mouth before she could stop herself, "Wait…where are you going?"

Leon stopped and turned around in the doorway. "To work the case. You're not gonna tell me anything so I need to get my answers through other means."

Ada wanted to tell him the truth more than anything, but she knew he'd have an even bigger target on his back if she did. _Hell, he doesn't even know how much danger he's in right now._ "Well, clearly, I can't stop you."

Leon walked right up next to her bed. With his right hand, he reached down and gently squeezed her hand. "So why not let me help you instead?"

The gesture was almost too much for Ada. Her heartbeat slowed to a crawl, her lips parted, and a wave of emotion crashed over her. His hand was so warm and reassuring…she wished it would stay there forever. _Wait! I can't involve him!_ She managed to regain control of her emotions and pull her hand away. Hurt was clearly evident on his face, but it quickly vanished. "Do you trust her?"

"Who?"

Ada nodded in the direction of the hallway. "The Detective. Do you trust her?"

Leon eyed her suspiciously. "So far. Why?"

"No reason…just," Ada sighed and closed her eyes for second, then she made eye contact with him, "Just watch your back, Leon."

He gave her an affirmative nodbefore turning to leave. He paused at the door and said, "I'll come check on you later."

She watched as he slid the door closed and disappeared down the hall…out of her life again. She closed her eyes and snuggled back into the pillows, a multitude of thoughts running through her head. _What am I gonna do? He's gonna get himself killed because he's so damn stubborn! Well, actually that's one of things I like about him._ Ada sighed as the realization came to her. _He's not gonna stop no matter how much I beg him to. Somebody tried to kill me and he's not gonna stop until he finds him…or kills him. It's cute that he still feels the need to protect me. If he kills McIntyre, then he'll have an even bigger target on his back._ Ada opened her eyes, suddenly very sure of what she needed to do. "I need to get out of here…"

 **. . .**

Tanner had the casefile spread out on top of the nurse's station. She was busy studying the file, trying to take her mind off of what just happened in the ICU. Normally, she wouldn't have a problem working with somebody else on a case, but Special Agent Kennedy just rubbed her the wrong way. His way of doing things was different then what she was used to. She was pissed at him for the way he had just shown up and taken over her case, but she knew that he was allowing her to stay on the case as a courtesy and she didn't want to do anything to screw that up. She walked down to the nurse's lounge and grabbed a cup of coffee to calm her nerves. When she got back, she found Leon waiting for her. _It's about time._ "Are you done with her?"

He nodded and said, "Yep."

"She tell you anything?"

"Not really."

Tanner set her coffee down. "Mind if I have a crack at her? I can be _very_ persuasive."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You'd be wasting your time."

"Oh, really? And what makes you say that?"

"If she won't talk to me, then she won't talk to you and nobody's gonna make her. Take my word for it, Detective." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or dishonesty in his voice when he said that.

 _Well, at least he's not hiding anything from me. I'll trust him on this one._ "Alright, but what do you suggest we do in the meantime?"

"Not much we can do."

 _He's right._ Tanner sighed and took a sip of her coffee. "Well I guess we'll just have to wait until forensics turns up something or your people get a hit on that fingerprint."

"Mmmhmm," He glanced back towards the ICU. Something was clearly bothering him.

"What's wrong?"

Leon tapped his fingers on the counter a few times before answering her, "In the entire time I've known her, she's only lied to me one time and that was when we just met. But ever since then, never. She'd be vague or tell me some half-truth, but never an outright lie. When I asked her what was going on, she lied to me."

Tanner took another sip of her coffee. "So? People lie all the time."

"Yeah…but still, something's off with her."

"Maybe she's scared? After what she's been through, I wouldn't blame her."

"That's not it. She's been through much worse. Trust me."

"So what could it be then?"

He leaned against the counter. "I don't know…and that's what scares me."

She saw the lines of worry on his forehead and knew that he wasn't joking. _If this woman is as tough as Leon makes her out to be, I wonder what can make her act like this._ "So what do you wanna do?"

Leon put his hands in his pockets and thought about it for a second. "I want two officers outside her door and two more out here at the nurse's station. Can you make that happen?"

"Yeah, no problem. Do you think someone's after her?"

He shook his head yes. "I'm not worried about that though. I'm more worried about her disappearing.

Tanner stared at him curiously. _Why is he more concerned about her leaving then he is her safety?_

Before she could ask him that, his phone rang and he answered it, "Hunnigan …alright thanks," he hung up the phone and looked at her, "We got a hit on the fingerprint."

"Great! Who does it belong to?"

He looked down at his phone and pulled up an email. "Maurice Evans. 275 Greenwich Street, Apartment 11A."

"That's in Tribeca. Let's go!"

 **. . .**

 _I had fun writing this chapter. I just hope you guys have as much fun reading it as I do writing it. I'll be posting more updates soon. Until then don't forget to follow, favorite, and, most importantly, leave a review. Bye guys!_


End file.
